Make Your Vote, Take Your Pick

Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar at the Galt House, Louisville

Monday, January 10, 2011 - The COGaWA elders today voted to extend the terms of the temporary leadership team and the temporary Board of Directors that have been serving prior to and during the conference, until the permanent form of governance is selected. 


In the morning, Jim Franks did a slide presentation on the home of Stephen Mumford, the first seventh day Sabbath keeping congregation founded in New Port, Rhode Island.



Ken Trebig talked about a worldwide web media effort. After radio and television, the loudest "trumpet" in the 21st century, he said, would be web based media. A small group can make a very big impact with a strong internet presence, he argued.  He said the young adults were very eager to help in this regard. Printed information, production runs of printed booklets, DVDs, and boxed software are becoming obsolete more and more- it's fast becoming a 24/7 anywhere, digital world. 
The church already has a mock-up created of a centralized COGaWa "internet portal" website, he said. The portal "website window" would direct to other areas designed for more specific market groups, using uncluttered, visual merchandising techniques, better suited for today's high-speed internet. 



David Register asked the rhetorical question what was the COGaWa's education program, facetiously answering, "There is none". 


Jon Pinelli began the next round of the "Name that Church" game. Pink sheets - 1 ballot per elder- got handed out. He suggested there were several ways for the ballots to become invalidated, as already happened in the short term governance ballot that morning. Out of 411 suggestions, there were five names left on today's ballot: "Covenant Church of God," Church of God, Ambassadors for Christ," "Church of God, a Worldwide Association," "Faithful Church of God" and "Church of God, a Christian Association."


Saul Longarica and Kambani Banda gave area updates.  

Mike Hanisko in announcements suggested that besides the football game scheduled for tonight at 8:00, and fellowship room, a large selection of a variety of bourbons would be made available on the second floor.  


(Ed.:The Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar at the Galt House claims to offer the country’s largest selection of Kentucky Bourbon, with over 150 bourbons to pick from. Jockey Silks reminds that if you can’t decide on a bourbon, you can ask for a memorable flight of bourbons, or try one of their unforgettable signature bourbon drinks. 


Thousands of dollars worth of vintage Dom Perignon, flowing free of charge? That was only for the Pasadena "country club" ministry, bub. Now why didn't they mention that at Winter Family Weekend?)

The following is the condensed version of the Jan 9 meeting:

January 9, 2011 – The organizing conference of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association was opened at 1:00 p.m. by Mike Hanisko, president of the temporary Board of Directors.

Clyde Kilough then gave an opening address in which he responded to a question that he had been asked. Were ministers just jumping on the bandwagon with those who were exiting our previous organization? Considering that those who recently resigned willingly accepted unemployment, a loss of benefits, etc., he noted that it seems unlikely that what transpired was capricious in nature.

Continuing, he observed that while we had committed 15 years to making another organization work, those years weren't wasted. Even though we are older, he said, we have learned important lessons through those years and that experience can often trump the energy of youth. He also noted that we have many younger people who are also desirous of helping do the work.

As for how we got here, he mentioned that via a teleconference, a temporary leadership was established to plan the meetings that have now begun. Continuing, he noted that this team realized that we will still be operating with an interim government after this conference. Committees were then formed on short-term administration, long-term administration, short-term governance and long-term governance.

He then reminded everyone of the "storming, forming, norming and performing" steps through which new organizations go.

Jon Pinelli on proposed church names. There were 411 names suggested. After considering the names in terms of identity, mission and legal availability, five potential names were selected: "Covenant Church of God," Church of God, Ambassadors for Christ," "Church of God, a Worldwide Association," "Faithful Church of God" and "Church of God, a Christian Association." Balloting to select one of these five names will take place on Monday afternoon.

Both Mr. Pinelli and Mr. Kilough noted that the choice of a church name is often intimately personal. They said that a word might bring comfort and strength to the mind of one person, while the same word stirs a strong negative reaction in the thinking of another.

Dave Baker then spoke on interim governance—noting that it was not the intention of this committee to set a precedent for what would be chosen for a long term government, nor how choices would be made, process-wise. The first proposal was to have the assembled ministers, following public prayer, each nominate five men. The names of the top 14 men would be placed in a box and then following another public prayer, seven of the 14 names would be drawn by the interim secretary. These seven men thus chosen would comprise the Interim Governance Team.

The second proposal was to extend the terms of the temporary leadership team and the temporary Board of Directors that have been serving prior to and during the conference until the permanent form of governance is selected and established. These two entities would become the Interim Governance Team. The meeting then recessed for ministers to further discuss these options in smaller groups with members of the short-term governance committee that authored these proposals.

There were 774 web connections to today's meeting.
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What name do you think was voted in today? Some think the "Church of God, a Worldwide Association" sounds too Jewish. Less ambiguous positioning between the old and new performance contracts is the consideration, "Church of God, a Christian Association".  


Or, you might comment on your own suggestion. My suggested name is, "United Church of God, ABS" - Anything But Spanky. :)